Is the black flag still being used?

Some runners perform dangerous actions during races. When a driver is considered dangerous due to his driving, the referees display a black and white flag to penalize the runner before raising the black flag if he repeats it.

Black flags are rare during Grand Prix races, and only about ten drivers in the history of Formula 1 have received one.

The most recent ones were none other than Felipe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella during the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix. The two drivers had jumped a red light in the pit lane and were guilty of dangerous actions. The FIA had to exclude them from the race.

Before them, other drivers were awarded this particular flag. In 2004 and 2005, it was Juan Pablo Montoya who received this flag. During the first black flag, at the United States Grand Prix. Missing the start, he then changed his car by taking the spare one and starting from the pit lane. An action that didn’t really please the referees.

In 2005, once again during the Canadian Grand Prix, the Colombian driver received the black flag. While he was leading the race for many laps, he was abruptly halted by a safety car. Upon the restart from the pits, a lack of judgement on his part caused him to leave during the flashing red light, resulting in the black flag being shown to him.

First appearance in 1986

The two leading drivers of the 1980s, namely Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, also experienced the black flag penalty. The first was in 1986 during the Italian Grand Prix, while the second was in 1988 during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Both were forced to retire after changing cars for the spare car just before the race. This illegal practice cost them the black flag.

Michael Schumacher also received the black flag. During the 1994 British Grand Prix, the driver was supposed to start from second place alongside Damon Hill. The German driver overtook Damon Hill twice during the formation lap before returning to his grid position. He was then given a stop and go penalty on lap 14, which he failed to comply with and was subsequently shown the black flag twice. He finished the race on the podium but was later disqualified due to the two black flag incidents during the race.

An unusual black flag was also given at the Canadian Grand Prix in 1969. During this race, driver Al Pease was awarded a black flag because he was not driving fast enough. While he was completing his 22nd lap, the frontrunners had already completed 46 laps.

Mansell, one of the most well-known black flags.

One of the most well-known black flags that caused a lot of commotion is undoubtedly Nigel Mansell’s during the Portuguese Grand Prix in 1989. While he was in a top position in the race, he entered the pit to change his tires. However, he misjudged his speed and missed the designated point. He then reversed in the pit lane to get back into position. This dangerous maneuver resulted in the black flag being shown to him. Nevertheless, Mansell continued the race and engaged in a battle with Ayrton Senna. During a turn, the two collided, forcing Ayrton Senna to retire from the race while he was aiming for a championship title. This incident caused a lot of uproar, especially because the following season Nigel Mansell was set to become Alain Prost’s teammate at Ferrari.

Black flags are therefore very rare, and this season, with the new technical regulations and the return of “porpoising,” some have requested to see it waved again. This is notably the case of Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, who believes that too many bounces could be dangerous on the track and should therefore be prohibited. The FIA has taken measures, which will be implemented starting from the Belgian Grand Prix, to reduce “porpoising” on F1 cars.

It should also be noted that although the single-seaters may not necessarily be seen waving a black flag on the track, some decisions made after the race lead to the same outcome: exclusion from the Grand Prix. The most recent driver to be excluded from a race is the German driver Sebastian Vettel with Aston Martin at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. You can read more about it [here](/f1/actualite/25495-vettel-disqualifie-du-grand-prix-de-hongrie-il-perd-son-podium-.html).